Wrench



J. J. DEMERS.

- Patented Oct. 3

Patented Oct. 3, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE...

JOSEPH J. DEMERS, OF WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO TRIMONT MANUu FACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- GH'USETTS.

WRENCH.

Application filed. June 23, 1921. Serial No. 479,892.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrn J. DEMERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Watertown, in the countyof Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Wrenches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,

like characters on the drawings represent= ing like parts. 7

This invention relates to" wrenches, and particularly to that type of wrench where a movable jaw member is adjusted upon the handle or main member by or through the operation of'a nut. In wrenches of this type the nut commonly projects beyond the sides of the wrench body, so as to provide a projection which can e readily grasped when it is desired to turn the nut to adjust the wrench. As a result of this construction, if the wrench is laid upon a bench or other surface, the peri hery of the nut engages the surface, and i the wrench is moved while in this position, the nut is likely to be turned and thus destroy the adjustment of the wrench,

An important feature of'the present invention, therefore, consists in providing improved means for supporting the jaw adjusting nut out of engagement with the surface upon which the wrench may be laid, and in providing frictional retardin means to further assist in preventing accidental rotation of the adjusting nut.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing improved means for retaining the adjusting nut and parts associated therewith in place. w j

The above and other features of the invention and novel combination of parts will be herein described in connection with the accompanying drawin which shows one good, practical form 0 the invention.

in the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a wrench embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line Q-Q of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one of thenut guards removed from the wrench;

Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. 3, but shows the friction member removed from the nut guard; r

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but shows a modified construction associated. with the nut;

Fi 6 is a perspective view of part of the hand e member; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing still another embodiment of the friction means.

In the drawing is illustrated a handle member 10 having a housing 11 rigid therewith and adapted to slidably receive a shank 12 of the movable jaw member 13.

The shank 12 is provided with opposite flat faces 12 and threads 14 adapted to receive the jaw adjusting nut 15. The nut 15 is preferably held from moving longitudinallyof the wrench in one direction by contact with the end 16 of the housing 11 while a projection 17 upon the handle member prevents the nut from moving in the opposite direction, the construction being such that the wrench jaw 18 may be adjusted towards and from the fixedjaw 19 by rotation of the nut 15.

As above pointed out, one feature of the invention consists in providing means for supporting the nut out of engagement with a surface upon which the wrench may be placed, and satisfactory means to this end consists in providing a nut guard 20 which may conveniently be formed of sheet metal having a flattened body portion 21 and outwardly extending win s 22. The construction is such that the ody portion 21 may be positioned betweena flat face 152 of the wrench and the inner threaded surface of the nut while the wings extend outwardly adj acent the ends of the nut as shown.

In the type of nut guard shown in Fig. 2, each wing 22- extends outwardly beyond the periphery of the nut to hold the nut out of contact with the surface upon which the wrench may be placed. This construction, to some extent, tends to hold the thumb and finger out of engagement with the nut when it is desired to rotate the nut, and in some cases it may be desirable'to provide but one wing 22 on each side of the wrench which extends beyond the periphery of the nut. A nut guard constructed in this manner is illustrated in Fig. 5 where the right hand wing 22 is shown as not extending beyond 105 The wings 22 of the nut guards serve to prevent the guards from moving in a longitudinal direction relative to the nut, and con venient means for limiting the movement of the guards in a lateral direction consists in forming seats 23 (Fig. 6) in the end 16 of thehousing adapted to receive aportion of the nut guards 20 as shown in Fig. 1. This forms a satisfactory and inexpensive con struction as the projection 17 upon the handle retains the nut 15 adjacent the end 16 of the housing, and the seats 28 assist in positioning the nut guards 20.

While the outwardly projecting wings 22 form satisfactory means for holding the nut out of engagement with a surface upon which the wrench may be placechthey will not in all cases prevent the nut from being rotated by jolts or jars. Another feature of the invention, therefore, consists in pro viding meansfor frictionally engaging the nut to prevent it from rotating too freely, and a convenient means to this end consists in providing a friction member carried by or sockets 25 formed at the base of the wings 22, the length of the friction member 24 preferably being such that its ends are seated in the bottom of the sockets 25. 1 In Fig. 5 a modified type of friction member is shown consisting of a spring blade 26 having its central portion secured to the'nut guard 20 by a rivet 27, while the ends 28 press yieldingly upon the inner surface of the nut. In Fig. 7 the friction means is shown as located between an end of thenut 15 and an inner face of one of the wings 22, and consists of a piece of the metal 29 having its opposite ends seated in sockets similar to the sockets 25 so that the metal will be held bowed slightly as shown.

hen each nut guard 20 is provided with but one wing'that' projects beyond the periphery of the nut as shown inFig. 5, the nut may in some cases come incontact with the surface upon which the wrench rests, but if this should happen, the friction means engaging the nut will prevent the nut from being accidentally rotated:

What I claim is:

1. A wrench comprising a handle member provided with a aw and a rigid housing, a movable jaw member having a threaded shank sliding longitudinally in the housing, a nut in threaded engagement with the shank, a projection formed on the handle to extend laterally from the handle toward said threaded shank and positioned .in spaced relation to an end-wall of the housing to confine the nut between it and said,

end wall, nut guards positioned between said shank and the inner threaded surface of the nut and having outwardly extendlng wings embracing the ends of the nut and ex.- tending outwardly beyond the periphery of the nut, and seats formed in the nut en gaging end wall. of the housing, adapted to receive a Wing of each nut guard to hold the guard from lateral displacement.

2. A wrench comprising a handle member an outwardly extending wing, and a seat formed in said end wall adapted to receive an end of the nut guard to hold the guard from lateral displacement.

3. A french comprising a handle member provided with a jaw and a rigid housing, a movable jaw member having a threaded shank sliding longitudinally in the housingga nut in threaded engagement with the shank, aprojection formed on the handle separate from the housin and in spaced relation to an end wall 0' the housing to confine the nut between it and said end wall, nut guard positioned between said shank and the inner surface of the nut and having outwardly extending wings embracing the ends of the nut, the wings being constructed so that but one of them extends outwardly beyond the periphery of the nut.

4. A wrench comprisinga handle member providedwith a jaw and a housing, a movable jaw member having a threaded shank sliding longitudinally in the housing, a nut in threadedengagement with the shank and held from longitudinal movement on the handle, nut guards positioned between said shank and the inner surface of the nut and having outwardly extending Wings contact: ing the ends" of the nut, one only of the wings upon each guard extending outwardly beyond the periphery of the nut.

5. A wrench comprising a handle member "provided with a jaw and a housing, a. movable jaw member having a threaded shank sliding longitudinally in the housing, a nut in threaded engagement with the shank and held from longitudinal movement on the handle, a nut guard positioned between said shank and the inner surface of the nut and having an outwardly extending wing, andg'a friction member between said Qher provided with a jaw and'a 'ri'gid' housnut and guard adapted to frictionally reing, movable jaw member having a threaded shank sliding longitudinally in the housing, a nut in threaded engagement with the shank, a projection formed on the handle in spaced relation to an end of the housing to confine the nut between it and said end, a nut guard positioned between said shank and the inner surface of the nut and having an outwardly extending wing, a seat formed in said end to receive a portion of the guard to hold the guard in place, and friction means between the nut and guard adapted to yieldingly resist rotation of the nut.

7. A wrench comprising a handle member provided with a jaw and a housing, a movable jaw member having a threaded shank sliding longitudinally in the housing, a nut in threaded engagement with the shank and held from longitudinal movement of the handle, a friction member extending acr es and adapted to frictionally engage the inner threaded surface of the nut, and means for mountingthe friction member between said shank and the inner threaded surface of the nut.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH J. DEMERS. 

